By Norm Miller, LCNews
PINEVILLE — Louisiana College received grants totaling $208,416 to help support the arts, nursing, scholarships and entomology.
Funds from the Louisiana Board of Regents Enhancement Grants will provide $55,000 to update sound and lighting equipment in the Martin Performing Arts Center, which will give “a full professional theater experience for the students as well as the local community of audience-goers,” said Tabitha Huffman, associate professor of Theatre.
“Our audience numbers should grow as well as student involvement in the productions. Students within our Theater Arts program will have a competitive edge in the professional world, where previously their technical creativity was limited,” Huffman continued.
A $58,416 grant to fund Nursing curriculum enhancements will provide state of the art projection and teaching equipment for classrooms in Cavanaugh Hall and the Nursing Skills Center practice lab. And a Lettie Pate Whitehead grant of $68,000 will fund Nursing scholarships.
“These grants will afford better learning environments for students and instructional capabilities for instructors through three hi-tech lecterns with LCD projectors, dedicated computers, and drop-down screens. The multiple audio-visual and online teaching strategies should enhance student outcomes,” said Marilyn Cooksey, Dean/Professor, School of Nursing.
“Our plans will include adaptive quizzing programs to enhance test-taking skills and reinforce nursing content,” she said. “The ultimate goals are to improve student retention and increase healthcare providers in the Central Louisiana, Louisiana as a whole, and the nation.”
A USDA Forestry Service grant of $27,000 titled “Identifying Potential Louisiana Forest Health Issues Based on Future Inventory Projections” provides funding for LC students to help characterize insect threat potential based on future projections. This includes fieldwork to collect stand samples, set insect traps, and monitor insect activities.
Other objectives include assessing the quality and quantity of feedstocks and processing samples collected for the National Forest Inventory and Analysis Biomass project.
“Louisiana College has developed a relationship with the Forestry Service Research Center located in Pineville, Louisiana. And three of our science majors — Jeancy Baraka, Rebekah Magee, and Chan Jin — have done research at that facility during the last two years,” said Sarah Payne, assistant professor of chemistry. “These projects include alternative fuels, entomology, and opportunities for all three of them to grow in scientific research and refine career interests.”
LC President Rick Brewer said, “We want to thank the Board of Regents for the funds that will not only enhance the quality of education that is our heritage, but will also have a personal impact upon each student who will benefit from these grants.”
